and as I crawled away
reeling from the venom
you poured into me
I thought of how I found you
I sought refuge in the shade
tightly wound and guarded myself
from other snakes
like you

Safwan is a Palestinian-American fourth-year UCLA student from Southern California, who is currently studying Comparative Literature. His main goal in writing is to capture his life experiences through vivid imagery and lyrical rhythms, and to express them in a genuine way that might resonate with readers in order to bridge the gap between his experiences and theirs.